My Hogwarts Life
by The Nerd Bird
Summary: When Ashlyn Shifferd goes to a wizarding school she dosen't know what to do. Will she be able to get through the year with her sanity?
1. Birthday Suprise

There was one day that changed my life. August 26, my eleventh birthday. I was happily enjoying my cake and presents, then there was a knock at the door. Thinking it was my best friends, K.T (Katherine Tompson to her parents) and Allison coming to wish me a happy birthday, I opened the big red door. Instead was a strange woman dressed in all green robes and a weird green hat. "Hello, you must be Ashlyn. I am Minerva McGonagoll, may I come inside?", she said very calmly.  
"Um, sure, I guess. Mom we have a visitor," I said while leading her into the living room.  
"Ashlyn, who's your friend?" said my mother.  
"Minerva McGonagoll, transfiguration professer at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am here to inform you that your daughter, Ashlyn, has been accepted to our school. She is a muggle-born child who seems like a great addition to our history," said McGonagoll.  
"What is transfiguration? What is a muggle? And what is Hogwarts?" said my mom with a questioning look on her face.  
"Transfiguration is the magical act of changing one thing into another thing, a muggle is a human who cannot do magic, and Hogwarts is a magical school for young witches and wizards, which Ashlyn so happens to be. It's free (except for school supplies)because we don't use the same money that you use. I will buy Ashlyn's school supplies because you have no wizard money."  
I was in awe as she said all this. Me, a witch? I couldn't believe it. But would Mom let me go to Hogwarts?  
"Mom please let me go to Hogwarts. It won't cost a thing and I really want to! Please Mom, please?"  
"I don't see why not. If you are a witch than you might as well." My heart leapt as she said this. I was going to Hogwarts!  
"Fantastic. We shall go to Diagon Alley (that's where we go shopping) tomorrow and get your supplies for the year."  
That night I could barely sleep, and when I did sleep, all I dreamt about were spells and potions and magical creatures. I was just so excited!  
"Ready to go?", asked my mother the next morning.  
"Of course!" I said when Professer McGonagoll came to pick me up.  
"Ashlyn will be staying at the Leaky Caldroun until September first, when she goes to King Cross station to board her train," said the most magical woman I've ever met (actually the only magical person I've ever met!). We left out the door but stayed in the driveway.  
"Why aren't we going?" I said curiously.  
"Apparation, we are going straight to Diagon Alley." she said grabbing my arm.  
"Apparatio..." Before I could finish my sentence we were in a place with a strange arangment of shops.  
"First we will go to Florish and Blotts to get your books, then Wisacres Wizarding Equipment and the Apothecary for potion supplies, after that Madam Malkins for your robes. Then Ollivanders for your wand, and if you're good I'll get you a pet owl or cat. No toads, I hate them," McGonagoll said to me to clear up any confusion I obviously had. As we walked into the first shop (Florish and Blotts is what I think she said) I saw a strange book. It looked and acted like a monster!  
"What is that?!" I said backing away from the growling book.  
"The Monster Book of Monsters," (of course), "you won't need it until your third year," McGonagoll said trying to get rid of my concern. Though she tried, I stayed at least 5 feet away from that thing they call a book the rest of the time we were there. The next two shops were amazing, the next even better! The shops were better and more magical each time we walked in a new one. My wand from Ollizanders was beautiful, 11.5 inches, oak, with a core of sphinx mane.  
But my favorite shop was Eeylops Owl Emporium & Magical Menagerie. All of the beautiful owls amazed me, Professer McGonagoll got me a majestic barn owl as a pet and for my mail. She saw my amazement and also got me a book all about owls and the part they play in the wizarding world. I already love this world, and I've only known about it for a day and a half. 


	2. The Train

My room at the place she called "The Leaky Cauldron" was not as expected. I thought of a magical room with food waiting to be eaten and beds that make themselves. One bed, and a bathroom. That was it, all that was in my room. No t.v, nothing to do except read my textbooks (ugh). They were actually kind-of interesting, I found magic to be amazing! All of this going on, without any moogles or miggles or whatever Professer McGonagoll said non-magic people are, knowing any of it.  
I found out how to make stuff levitate or turn into other stuff, I couldn't wait for September first. I wanted to practice, but Professer McGonagoll said that I would get expelled before school even started.  
I spent days reading the educational books (my favorite was still the book all about owls), practicing the wand movements, and having fun with my new best friend, Kayla, my new pet owl. On the first of September, I was walking with McGonagoll in Kings Cross Station, I was looking at my ticket and it said Platform 9 3/4. I looked around and saw nothing but platforms 9 and 10. McGonagoll saw my confusion and pushed me into the wall. I was expecting the pain of a lifetime, but when I opened my eyes I saw a glimmering, shimmering red train that said the Hogwarts Express. I said goodbye to my future professer and she apparated away. Then I showed the conductor my ticket and tried to find a seat. Only the last car in the carrige was empty, so I stepped inside and started to fall asleep. Before I was able to drift into sleep, I heard somebody come into my compartment. I opened my eyes and saw a boy around my age with a pet cat.  
"Hey, I need a place to sit. Can I sit in here? By the way my name is Hudson," the young (cute) boy said, "and this is Bianca, my sister named her," he said pointing to the cat.  
"I'm Ashlyn, this is Kayla, and of course you can sit here," I said feeling that I had met a new friend (or maybe a boyfriend). We talked forever about what we liked until the food trolley came around.  
"I'll take a cauldron cake, a bottle of pumpkin juice and a chocolate frog, do you want anything?" he said asking me.  
"I don't know any snacks you have in this world. I'm a muggle born," I said kind of embarrased.  
"Oh, well then. You'll need to try everything! Two of everything please!", Hudson said to the waiting woman at the food trolley.  
"I'm a pureblood, that means I come from a family entirely of witches and wizards. I grew up with all of this food and wizard fairy-tales, but I've always wanted to know about the muggle world. Will you teach me?"  
We talked for even longer about my favorite fairy-tales of the muggle world, and the food my mother makes for dinner. When I saw that we were getting close to Hogwarts, I left to go change into my robes. I came back and saw Hudson in his robes too.  
"Beautiful," he said looking at me,"the robes I meant, hehe."  
We walked off the train and onto the boats, and I saw my first glimpse of the castle. It was just as beautiful as I had seen in the pictures. As we walked into the Great Hall I saw the ceiling and almost cried. It was so beautiful that I forgot why I was there.  
"Hudson Cirst" I heard Professer McGonagoll read off a list of new students. She placed a hat on his head which immediatly yelled "GRYFFINDOR!" After a few more people were sorted I heard her call my name. I took some deep breaths and sat on the stool beneath the hat. A few moments of deciding later and then I heard "GGGRRRYYYFFFIIINNNDDDOOORRR!" I ran towards the table where all of the Gryffindor students, new and old, sat. I met the prefects and Nearly Headless Nick, the ghost of Gryffindor house. Of course I sat next to my new best friend Hudson, and found out that he is single, good for me. Then some wizard food just appeared on the table, but there were some foods more fimiliar to me, pizza, chicken, etc. After I was so full that I could barely move, our prefects took us up to Gryffindor Tower, where the dormitories are. The girls dormitory was beautiful and there were only three other Gryffindor first years that were girls so I had plenty of space for my stuff. We stayed up until midnight getting to know each other, my three roommates are Alison Blu, Jenna Goonis, and Miranda Cirst. I am the only muggle-born out of us four and two of them are half-bloods (one muggle parent and one magical parent), the other one of course is a pureblood (and Hudson's twin sister!). Then I showed them some magic that I already learned from our textbooks, they were amazed that I already read all of the textbooks.  
Later I snuck down to the common room where Hudson and I agreed to meet. "Are you there?", I called out in a whisper.  
"Yeah, I have something to ask you. I couldn't do it at the Great Hall becaused I was embarassed," Hudson said, "I don't know how to say this. You're so smart, and pretty and kind. You look amazing in your robes and today on the train, I chose your compartment because you looked so beautiful. Ashlyn Shifferd will you go out with me?"  
"Of course. This castle has so many hiding places where we can go to escape teachers and the stress of school work. I have to confess something, I wanted you to sit with me on the train."  
We went to classes every day and I exelled in each one, especially transfiguration with the help of Professer McGonagoll. My favorite place to be was the owlrey, I could spend hours at a time looking at the beautiful owls. I was in the owlrey mostly to send letters to my mom once a week. Even though I spent hours in the owlrey, most of the day in class, and a bunch of time at the library for homework, I found time to hangout with Hudson. 


	3. Happy Halloween

Everything was perfect, or so I thought. On Halloween, after transfiguration class Professer McGonagoll walked up to me with a sad expression.  
"Ashlyn, I have very depressing news. Your mother, who you thought you've been sending letters to, has been dead for 5 weeks. Without you to take care of her, she fell very ill. She was never able to drive to the hospital, and died in her sleep. Nobody knew until yesterday. I am so sorry for your loss, and you are excused from classes for the rest of the day."  
"Ok, but I need somebody to get my homework. Though this is a major trajedy, I will not fall behind on my schoolwork, Mom would've wanted it that way," I said, tears rolling down my face.  
The rest of the day went by quickly. After I was sure the hallways were empty I ran to one of hiding places that Hudson and I liked to sit and just cried my eyes out. I tried to practice spells, but all I could remember was my mom. She was the only real parent I ever had. I just decided to cut myself, and it made me think of my dad. Let me explain, my dad left after he and my mom got in a fight. I was two years old at the time, and I don't have a clue what they were fighting about, all I know is that he hit my mom. I never told anybody, except Hudson. As I started thinking of him, he appeared.  
"I knew you'd be here. What's wrong?", he asked.  
"What makes you think there's something wrong?", I said with obvious sarcasm.  
"You would never miss class if you were OK."  
"All right, I'll tell you. But you can't tell anybody." Then I told him the sad story of my mother. He hung onto every word I said. After that he told me a secret about his family that I'm not allowed to tell. His mom and dad fight, a lot. He and his twin sister, Miranda, always hear them yelling at each other late at night. He thinks that they will get a divorce, but he hopes not. We decided to tell each other a new secret every day that we still love each other.  



	4. Merry Christmas, You Jerk

Yet again, everything was perfect (but it obviously wasn't). It was right before Christmas break, when me and Hudson told Professer McGonagoll that we were staying for the holidays. In the common room we saw a few of the first year Gryffindor boys that were friends with Hudson.  
"Is that your girlfriend?", one of them said to Hudson with a sense of joking in his voice.  
"Yeah, I am his girlfriend! Got a problem with it?" I said preparing for a fight.  
"No problem,"(he whispered to the others),"hope you two are happy together. Hahaha," he said as the four rude boys walked away.  
"What was that about?" I said to my boyfriend.  
"No idea, heh heh heh."  
On Christmas day I went down to the common room to see Hudson, and give him his present that I made for him (a very nice scrapbook of us around the castle). But when I got down there I saw him and his friends waiting by the fire.  
"Hey look! It's the mudblood!", one of Hudson's friends said.  
"You must cut yourself to see how dirty your blood is!" said another one.  
"Your mother must have hated you so much that she killed herself!" said another. Hudson was just standing there laughing at how they were insulting me.  
"Hudson, how can you let them say those terrible things?" I said crying.  
"I don't know what you're talking about, Filthy Mudblood!" said my so-called boyfriend.  
"I can't believe you. I kept your secrets! Merry Christmas, It's over!" I said throwing his present into the fire. I ran up the stairs crying my eyes out. How could he do this? All of the secrets I told him, about my parents, my cutting, my insecurity, and now his friends know. I tried to tell myself that I would never trust him again, but I couldn't. I still loved him.  
"Ashlyn? Can you come down here?" I heard a voice call from it was Hudson I ran down the stairs filled with anger.  
"What the hell do you want?" I said before I got a good look at my suroundings. The voice came from the head of house, Minerva McGongoll.  
"Ashlyn, control your language. I have something to tell you about your family." I followed her towards her office, thinking what it could be. Is my mother alive? Do I have a brother or sister? Is Darth Vader my father? When I was laughing about my last question, we got to her office.  
"Ashlyn, please take a seat. What I am about to tell you is shocking. So shocking that I thought that I was just part of some short story that a twelve year old wrote." She took a big breath, "Ashlyn, we know who your father is. The wizard Jeremy Clark. Ashlyn, you are a half-blood. Another suprise is waiting for you at the quidditch field. Go there in one hour, and your suprise will be ready."  
I was nervous about what it would be. What could it be? Hudson apologizing? No, that would never happen, I would never forgive him anyways. Leading up to the quidditch field I saw people whispering and wearing gear for quidditch. Must be the tryouts for the team today. Except nobody was on the field except one middle aged man.  
"Is that you Ashlyn? It's been so long, you've gotten so tall. It's me, your dad," the man said. After all this time, he finally decided to contact me. Though I was angry at him for leaving mom and I, I was happy he was here. In my opinion, that made it the best Christmas ever! But I had one question to ask him.  
"Why did you leave?" After that he explained that when I was two, the first signs that I was magical appeared. My mom was angry that he never told her that he is a wizard. They fought about who was going to raise me, and my mother won. The only reason she let me go to Hogwarts was because it's free and she wanted me out of the house. After I was gone, she started taking drugs. She started taking even more drugs, until she overdosed and died. When my dad heard about her he decided to find me to see if I was okay. Then he invited me to live with him after the school year was over. Then he taught me a little bit about quidditch and let me fly on his broom. Apparently I'm a pretty good keeper.  
"I have to leave now. My job starts in one hour. I'll send you one letter every month. Bye Ash, love you, see you soon.", my father said as he rode away on his broomstick. I was walking from the quidditch field, then I saw Hudson and his group of friends. They must've been there to try out for the team.  
"Who's that? Your long lost uncle 30 times removed, who just happens to be a wizard?" One of his buddies said.  
"Yeah, that's really funny Chuck. Heh heh," said Hudson sounding unsure of this. He looked at me and said... nothing absolutley nothing.  
"Actually that man is my father. I am a half-blood. So screw you and your rude remarks calling me a mu... that dirty word," I almost screamed as I stomped away. I was angry all the way up to the common room, but when I got inside I was amazed. Some sixth years were conjuring water out of thin air. I sat there the rest of the day watching them do their magic. When most of them were gone, I started practicing that spell but I couldn't get it right. One red headed girl came up to me.  
"I'm Lily Evans, sixth year, prefect. Looks like you're pretty advanced for a first year." she said to me.  
"Yeah, but I can't get that 'Aquamantee' spell right. The one that makes water."  
"I think your problem is that it's 'Aguamenti'. Other than that your wand movement is perfect. I'm guessing you're a pureblood and that you've seen your parents do those wand movements."  
"No, actually half-blood. But I only found that out today. I used to think that I was a muggle born, because I lived with my mother who is a muggle. Was a muggle. She passed away soon after I came here. But my dad is a wizard and I'm going to live with him now."  
"Here's a secret. I'm a muggle born, and I am the best in my year. I heard what those boys were yelling at you this morning. Must not have been a very good Christmas for you."  
"Actually, it was the best one I ever had. I met my dad, I heard him say 'I love you' for the first time. He taught me quidditch and I might even try out for the team tomorrow."  
Lily and I talked for hours and practiced spells with eachother. She said that if I kept practicing, I will be so advanced that I will be doing seventh year magic by my third year.


	5. A Dream and A Tryout

When I realized that it was midnight, my brain was so full of information that I could barely sleep. But when I eventually did drift off into the land of sleep, my dream was wierd. I was riding my dad's cleansweep broom, and practicing charms with Hudson, above the quidditch pitch. He leaned in close and, I woke up with a scream. I saw the other first year girls looking at me.  
"Sorry, bad dream." I said apologeticly.  
"That's why you were saying 'Hudson, you're saying the spell wrong.'." said Miranda.  
"I can't control my sleep-talking." The other two girls got ready for their classes, and Miranda stayed back to talk to me.  
"I know you still like my brother."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"Dad taught Hudson and I legimency." I was silent. What the hell is that?  
"The wizarding ability to read minds."  
"Oh, well, you're wrong. I do not still like him."  
"I know you're lying."  
"So what if I still like him. He called me a ... m-mu-mudblood. He never really liked me."  
"Yes he did. He still does. His friends didn't like that he was dating a muggle born. All of them are purebloods."  
"He didn't have to call me that terrible word."  
"He was being pressured to say that. His 'friends' would have used the cruciatus curse on him."  
"How do you know all of this?"  
"I can read minds remember?"  
"I might like him, and he might like me, but we could never go out again. His friends are always with him, and they wouldn't approve of me."  
"He got on the quidditch team as a chaser. If you become keeper then you'll spend the practices together without his 'friends'."  
It was an idea I simply had to use. Today was the tryouts for remaining quidditch players. The rest of the team would be there. I NEEDED to show my skills. First, Miranda and I went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. I started nibbling on some toast, when I saw Kayla, my owl, flying with a broom. That broom looked fimiliar somehow. Attached to it was a note.

'I decided to give you my broom.  
You know, for quidditch.  
I know you'll make the team.  
Love,  
Dad'

"Awesome" I said. It was just a second generation cleansweep, but it was the best non-Christmas or birthday present I ever got. At the field, all of the current players (including Hudson) were there. So were their friends, girlfriends or boyfriends, enemies. To explain a little bit easier, half of Gryffindor house was there. I saw only five other people to try-out for keeper, but they were all at least fifth years. But I looked in the stands and saw all of the friends I made during the year. Lily, Alison, Jenna, even my dad was there, and they were all holding a banner that said 'GO ASHLYN! FUTURE GRYFFINDOR KEEPER!'. I knew that I could do this.  
All I knew was defend, defend, defend. Keep the ball away from those goals. The only sounds I heard, the quaffle going through the air and my group of fans. I missed two shots out of nine. I hoped that the others did worse than I did. Who am I kidding? They're fifth years, and I'm just a stupid first year. After that I spent the next three and a half hours in my bed crying about how terrible at quidditch I am. Later all of my room mates came in to try and help me get over it.  
"It's okay, come down to the common room with us. You need company to make you feel better." said Jenna.  
"Yeah, the best thing you need is people who are your friends." said Miranda.  
"Everybody in Gryffindor is your friend. They'll accept you, quidditch team or not." said Alison, giving one last attempt to cheer me up. Eventually I got tired of them begging me to come to the common room, so I came down. It was dark but I was still able to find my favorite chair. I started to fall asleep, when out of no where horns started blowing. The leader of the quidditch team, James Potter, came up to me and said, "Congradulations, Ashlyn. You are the Gryffindor keeper."  
Oh. My. GOD. That was the only thing I was thinking. I'm the keeper, and I'm only a first year. How the hypogriff does that happen?  
"But you have to bring Lily to the games and practices." Of course that's why. I can't believe it, he just wants to date my friend.  
"I would never do that to Lily, she taught me to accept who I am. I will not be part of your terrible plot to get a girlfriend. Make somebody else keeper. If to be on this team I have to betray a friend, I don't want to be on this team."  
"Fine then. Kirsten will be the keeper."  
"Hold on just a Slytherin-biting second. Ashlyn was the best at the tryouts. You can't kick her off because I won't date you," said Lily out of no where.  
"Actually, I'm the captain. I can choose whoever I want on the team."  
"Well," McGonagoll said while stepping out of the shadows, "you have to let her on the team if she was the best."  
Now I was really on the team, spending half my day on the field, the other half in class, and losing sleep to finish homework.


	6. Suprise on the Field

My grades were plumeting, and quidditch wasn't as fun as I thought. I decided to confront Professer McGonagoll.  
"I don't think I can do this anymore. My grades are suffering, I am resigning as a keeper."  
"I understand. If you want, as extra credit to bring up your grade, you can tutor another student. Meet him at the quidditch pitch during my class tomorrow. I will give you the work for both of you." I was excited! I got to meet a new person, maybe a new friend. Possibly a hufflepuff, they seem nice. Or even a slytherin, ravenclaws are too smart for tutoring. The next day when I walked into McGonagoll's classroom, she smiled. "You're probably going to like the student I picked out for you." Maybe it's the cute Slytherin boy that sits next to me in charms. I wonder if he likes me too, he's always staring at me.  
I walked toward the grassy field with my emotions building by the second. Someone is flying around but I can't tell who it is.  
I stepped onto the field. Now I could see an outline of him, but not his face. Then he stepped closer and kissed me. I closed my eyes.  
"I love you," said the voice. I opened my eyes. It was Hudson.  
"DIRTY, NO GOOD, SON OF A ," I said throwing one of my textbooks at him.  
"Wingardiun Leviasor," he said while taking out his wand. My textbook fell to the ground. "I have to work on that."  
"You broke my heart!"  
"I didn't want to! They made me!"  
"I already know. Miranda told me."  
"Sneaky little."  
"Don't you dare talk about my best friend like that!"  
"You need extra credit and I need tutoring. No way around it."  
"Fine. Let's get to work." Over and over I told him how to say one spell. He still didn't get it. He'll only make it through the year if he bribes the teachers.


End file.
